Devlet Bahçeli, the leader of Turkey’s far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), a key ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, on Monday condemned the US strike on Iranian nuclear facilities the previous day as “scandalous and irresponsible,” in contrast to the Turkish government’s more measured response.
Bahçeli’s strongly worded statement, released on X, marked a clear departure from the Turkish Foreign Ministry’s more cautiously worded reaction saying the strike had sharply escalated the risk of a broader war while avoiding a direct condemnation of the United States.
Bahçeli described the June 22 US airstrike targeting Iran’s Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites as part of a broader “Zionist-imperialist arrogance” and said the attack signaled the “cutting of the ribbon” for a global conflict.
“The United States president, who promised to end wars, has lit the fuse for new ones,” Bahçeli said. “This is a deep contradiction, political inconsistency and insincerity.”
The MHP leader accused Israel of “savagery,” saying that the wave of attacks launched by Israel against Iran since June 13 could not be explained solely by nuclear concerns.
He claimed the international system was paralyzed and warned of a multi-front crisis that could engulf the world. “All the complications of an undeclared war are now in effect,” he said.
Bahçeli also took aim at the United Nations, calling its response ineffective and performative. “The United Nations is not a place for whining or complaining,” he said. “It must intervene if peace is to be built.”
He warned that after Iraq, Syria and now Iran, Turkey could be next in line for destabilization efforts, referencing “plans to bomb historic Turkish cities” and reviving the notion of the “Eastern Question” — a historical term used to describe Western encroachment on Ottoman lands.
Calling for unity in the face of rising global tensions, Bahçeli criticized the opposition and some media commentators for what he described as irresponsible rhetoric that weakened the domestic front.
“There is no need to be a fortune teller to see which country will be next,” Bahçeli concluded. “Turkey’s sovereignty, unity and historical heritage are non-negotiable.”
His remarks come on the 11th day of the Iran-Israel war, triggered by Israeli strikes on Iranian facilities on June 13, and followed by tit-for-tat escalations.
In a dramatic escalation of its role in the Middle East conflict, the United States launched airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites — Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan — early Sunday morning, marking its first direct military action in the ongoing Iran-Israel war.
US President Donald Trump called the operation a “spectacular military success” and warned of further action if Iran does not seek peace.
Iran condemned the strikes as a serious violation of international law. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi vowed “everlasting consequences” and framed the attack as a violation of the UN Charter. Members of Iran’s parliament discussed the possibility of closing the Strait of Hormuz in response.
United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres described the strikes as a “grave and dangerous escalation” and urged immediate diplomatic efforts.
The war entered a new phase Sunday afternoon, with reports emerging of retaliatory drone and missile fire from Iran targeting Israeli military positions.
Turkey’s foreign ministry expressed deep concern over the US attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, warning the escalation had raised the risk of a global conflict to its highest level.
However, it did not issue a strongly worded statement condemning the US, as it has many times with Israel since the conflict began on June 13.